Automobile signal device



J. GRANTER ET AL AUTOMOBILE SIGNAL DEVICE Filed Dec. 1. 1926 2Sheets-Shet 1 l I 29 "1 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS.

S JACOB GRANTER. o *fl JACOB- DAV/S.

BY I 1,638,628 J.- GRANTER ET AL AUTOMOBILE SIGNAL DEVICE Aug. 9 5 1927.

Filed Dec. 1. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. JACOB GRANTER. JACOB DAVIS BY I A TTORNEYS.

memes Aug. 9, 927.

moon ensures AND moon DAV-IS, on onxmnn, CALH'OBINIA.

AUTOMOBILE SIGNAL DEVICE.

Continuation of application filed April 6, 1925, Serial No. 21,236. Thisapplication filed December 1,

' 1926. 'Serial No. 151,848.

This application is a continuationof an panying drawings, indicates anelongated application filed by us on or about the6th day of April, 1925,entitled Automobile signaling device.

6 This invention relates to a direction indicator particularly adaptedfor use on automotive. vehicles.

' It is the principal object of the present ins/f vention togenerallyimprove and simplify devices of the character referred to whereby torovide 'a'simple and inexpensive device which may be installed at theside of the vehicle and operated by the driver to visibly indicate toothers in the front or rear of the vehicle the intended direction oftravel of t the vehicle.

In carrying out this object we provide a casing adaptedto be secured atthe side of the" vehicle. The design of the casing is such that it doesnot detract from the appearance of the vehicle. This casing encloses asemaphore arm which may be operated by the driver and extended todiiierent signaling positions to indicate. the intended direction oftravel of the vehicle.

One form which the invention may assume is exemplified in the followingdescrip- ,tion and illustrated by way of example in the accompanyingdrawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view'disclosing thepreferred form of our invention as mounted at the side of a vehicle, anddisclosing themanner in which the semaphore arm extends to difierentsignaling positions.

Fig. 2 is a view in vertical section through the casing and semaphorearm disclosing certain details ofconstruction.

Fig. 3. is a view of the operating device which is mounted on thedashboard of the vehicle to control the semaphore arm.

Fig. 4 is a, view in elevation of the exterior side of the casing.

Fig. 5 isa plan section through the casing disclosing the manner. in.which the closure members nest within the side of the 'casin sclose' vbrackets 11 which. are secured to one side of the casing and extend atright angles thereto, so that they may be connected with the side of thevehicle by screws or other suitable means.

The housing or casing 10 may be finished exteriorly to match the finishof the f'vehicle upon which it is mounted, so that it will extendstransversely between the front and [5 rear Walls of the housing -10. Thesemaphorearm 12 has a substantially semi-cir cular upper end which isgrooved circumferentially and concentric with respect to the pivot pin14. At the base of the circular portion at the exterior side of thesemaphore arm a cable 15 is secured b means of a screw. This cable isled over t e grooved circular portion of the arm and is led throughtubing 16 secured along the inner vertical wall of the housing.Thistubing 16 leads to an operating device 17. a

This device may be arranged on the instrument board of the vehicleadjacent the steering wheel so that the driver may have access thereto.-The flexible tubing or conduit 16 extends between the operating device-17 and the casing 10, so that the flexible cable 15 may be fullyprotected and reciprocated through't-he conduit 16 if desired. e5 Theend of the cable 15 entering the operating device 17 is secured toa-pivotal'lever 18 at a oint'intermediate the'ends. of-the latter. noend of this lever 18 is pivoted within a casing 19 of the operatingdevice 100 17, so that it may be oscillated to operate the semaphore arm12 through the medium of the cable 15.

, The housing 19 of the operating device 17 1 is formed with an arcuaterim .20 having 5 three notches 21, 22 and 23. The movement of the arm.from its normal position to the notch 21 is sufiicient to draw the cablethrough the conduit an amount necessary to swing the semaphore arm 12outwardly to a position indicating stop. In this position the arm willbesuspended outwardly and downwardly. 'If the lever is engaged with thenotch 22,. the semaphore arm 12 will be disposed in a horizontalposition indicating that the driver is about to negotiate a left-handturn. If. the lever 18 is engaged with the notch 23, the. arm will beelevated,

' When the lever is in an inoperative position, the spring will cause itto bear tightly against the edge of the rim 20 to secure it in such aposition. v

At the lower end of the semaphore arm 12 a simulation of a human hand isformed.

This hand is hollow and is formed of translucent material, and is fittedinteriorly with a light bulb 25. It is intended that each time thesemaphore arm is operated that the light bulb be automaticallyilluminated to #illuminate the hand.

' To accomplish this one side of the light bulb is grounded into theframe of the automobile or vehicle. .The other terminal of the bulb isconnected with a wire 26 which is led through a flexible conduit tothe'op-.

erating device 17 wherein it connects with a wiper 27 mounted on andinsulated from the lever18. When the lever is placed in en- 'gagementwith either of. the three notches.v

- ductor 291:0 one terminal of a battery, which may be the battery ofthe automobile upon 'WhlCh the device is mounted. The other terminal ofthe battery is grounded. Therefore, when the lever 18 is thrown intooperative position to operate thesemaphore arm 12, a circuit will becompleted from the battery to the contact plate 28; thence through thewiper 27 to the light bulb 25. As the other terminal of the light bulbis grounded a circuit will be completed back to the battery.

One of th features of the present invention is the fact that the housingorcasing 10 is substantially water-proof due-to its novel construction.That is, the front, side and rear walls together with the top and bottomsections are tightly joined so as to be water-proof.

At the exterior side a cover plate is formed which forms a closure forthe exterior side tion 30 of the closure.

. tions, so that when driving against the wind cover plates fromrattling. It will be noticed of the housing through which thesemaphorearm oscillates. This cover plate comprises an upper section 30 which hastwo outwardly projecting cars 31 at its top. These ears are located atopposite sides of the section 30 and are arranged between cars 32 formedintegral with the sides of the housing 10 and extending outwardlytherefrom. A transverse pin 33 extends through the cars 31 and 32 toform a pivotal mounting for the sec- A spring 34 is arranged about thepin 33 and is intended to bear against the upper sect-ion 30 of thecover plate and constantly tend to maintain the same in closed position.The upper section of the cover plate of the housing is substantiallyhalf the length of the housing. It is necessary that the cover plate bein two parts due to the different relative pivotal points of the closureplates and the semaphore arm. The lower section of the closure plate isse-, cured to the semaphore arm as shown in Fig. 2. The meetingedges ofthe sections of the cover plate are cut at an angle as shown in Fig. 2,so that a water-tight joint will be formed.

lVhen the arm 12 is swung outwardly the sections of the cover portionswill be simultaneously swung out. Due to the. dilference 1n pivotalpoints of the arm and the upper cover section, the latter will overlapthe lower cover section when the arm is extended as illustrated inFig. 1. The beveled meeting edges of the cover sections permit suchmovement.

Reference being had to Fig. 5 it will benoticed .thatthe front and rearwalls of the casing are formed with longitudinal recesses at their outeredges. These recesses occur at the inner surfaces of the walls, -.andare adapted to accommodate the edges of the cover sections. In otherwords, the outer edges of the front and rear walls of the casing willoverlap the edges of the coversec- "0 therewill be no tendency for thecover sections to be drawn outwardly by the wind. This is quite anadvantage as it prevents the that the cover sections are arcuate incross section, so that the wind will have a tend ency to maintain. thecover closed rather than opened.

It is obvious that when the semaphore arm is swung inwardly the coversections will swing inwardly therewith and will unite to form a completeclosure. for the housing concealing the'semaphore arm from view and"protecting it from the elements.

In operation of the device, when it is desired to indicate that thevehicle is about to turn to the left, the lever 18 is brought intoregister with the notch 22. This movement of the lever 18 will impartsuflicient movement through the cable 15 to swing the semaphore armtoahorizontal position, indicating that the vehicle is about to make a leftturn. At the same time a circuit will be completed throu h the lightnate the hand.

When it is desired to indicate that the vehicle is'to turn to the ri'ht,the lever 18 is. brought 4 notch 23. This into registeran enga ed with.the

will impart su cient'movement through the cable to the semaphore armtoelevate the latter, above a horizontal positin, indicating .that-thevehicle is about to negotiate a right-hand turn. 7

When desired to indicate that the vehicle is to come to a stop, thelever 18 is brought into register and en aged with the notch 21.. Thiswill dispose t position indicatingthat the vehicle is to come to a stop.

20 ing automobile direction .in

,which automatically form a closure for the ating a turn, and which wiIt is manifest that inv either of its operatpositions the hand of thesemaphore arm 12 will be automatically illuminated. Likewise, that thecover late for the side of the housing through w ich the arm oscillateswill open when the arm is extended and will forma weather-tight closurefor the housing.

housing when the semaphore arm is returned to inoperative position.

While we have shown the preferred form of our invention, )7 variouschanges may be made in its construction by those skilled in the artwithout debulb 25 to illumi-- e arm in a depending.

throu h .2. i

rear and inner 31 the turn so.

- housing,

it is to be understood that partin from the spirit of the invention, as

define in the appended claims. a

' Having thus described our invention, what we'claim and desire tosecureby Letters Patent isz,

1. A direction indicator of the character I described comprisingahousin' adapted-to be arranged at the side of=a ve icle, a sema phorearm pivoted at its upper .end within the housing and adapted to beextended through one side thereof to indicate the. 1n- 4 direction oftravel of the vehicle, a

tende closurefor the side of the housing through extends, said closurecompriswhich the arm ing an upper closure member pivoted at its upper ento the housing, and a lower closure member secured to said arm saidclosure members being adapted to swing outwardly in unison with the armand to unite when the arm is disposed within the housing to form aclosure for the side of the housing which said arm operates.

adapte elongated rectangular housin e of a vehicle,

arranged vertically at the si said housing having integra 'de walls andends, ears projecting'outwardly from the front and rear walls at theupper end of the housing, a p vj I I otal closure section ivotallyconnected wit said .ears, the len being substantial y half thelength ofhousing, a pivotal semaphore arm in r. end of uppe the semaphore arm andthe phore arm outwardly in 0 positions, a lower closure section securedto the semap ore arm. and adapted to cooperate with the pivotal closuresection to form a closure for the open side of the housing 0 I edges ofsaid closure sections when in c osed position nesting within'the frontand rear walls of the, housing.

JACOB nAvIs.

direction indicator comprising m'vwo' d to-be 11y formed front, 7

of said closure section j the. the 7 housing, a pivotal connectionbetween the, 3

means for extending said sema Y difierent signaling the""J'ACOBaGRANTERD

